1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a support device for supporting at least one electric harness where it passes through a through hole in a structure made of composite material, and it also provides a structure equipped with said support device.
The invention applies particularly, but not exclusively, to the field of designing and manufacturing aircraft or similar devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
The main structural elements of new aircraft, currently under development, are made of composite materials having very high electrical resistance (≈1000 times greater than aluminum) and low thermal conductivity (≈half that of aluminum), with the main result that any injection of current into a part of the composite material structure may lead to said part being greatly damaged. In addition, the high abrasive potential of certain composite materials increases the probability of such an event after prolonged contact between an electric cable and a part made of composite material. By way of example, the effects on such parts may be local heating that may lead to a fire, and loss of the mechanical characteristics of the structure (delamination, etc.).
Currently, when an electric harness passes through an opening provided in a composite panel or part, a fastening system is needed to hold the electric cable harness in the through hole so as to avoid any contact between an electric cable of the harness and the periphery of the through hole provided in the composite material structure. However, if the system for fastening the harness on the structure is lost, there is nothing to prevent the harness from making contact with the composite material of the structure, with the above-mentioned drawbacks.
A possible solution may consist in duplicating the fastening of the harness relative to the structure by means of two supports situated on either side of the through hole. However, that proposal is expensive, heavy and lengthy to implement when fastening the harness where it passes through structures.
Accompanying FIG. 1 shows the problem to be solved. FIG. 1 shows a structure 10 made of composite material that, in the example under consideration, is constituted by a cross-member of the IPN beam type 12. This structure includes a vertical web 14 that presents two opposing faces 14a and 14b. Through holes such as 16 and 18 are provided in the web 14 in order to enable electric cable harnesses 20 to pass through. In the known solution for ensuring that the harness 20 does not come into contact with the edge 18a of the orifice 18, the harness is fastened to the structure, e.g. by a support 22 to which the periphery of the harness 20 is attached, e.g. by a collar 24. The other end 22a of the fastening element 22 is fastened to the web 14 of the structure 12 by any suitable means. As explained above, it should be understood that in the event of the fastening part 22 breaking, there is a high risk of the harness coming into contact with the periphery 18a of the through hole 18.